Walking a Thin Line
by rapancheese
Summary: The events of the wedding have really woken Ranma up. It's time to come out of hiding and show everyone the real him. But how to keep this from ending in tragedy?
1. Slipping

Michael Gutin

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Disclaimer: Oh c'mon I don't need one every time do I? Oh, I do? Well damn…characters property of Rumiko Takahashi, don't forget it (or they'll hurt me!)

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Walking a Thin Line

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Chapter 1

Slipping

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Jusendo, the word has been haunting me ever since it happened. The wedding, was it a failure? Yes, more than anyone besides me knows. My two years of work, all gone. I had put so much into it, keeping my feelings, my real self, completely hidden. And that single event made it all for nothing. Was I surprised? No. I had been expecting it for so long. I knew from the beginning it was just a delaying action. But its end had always seemed so far off. 'It will end soon' I always told myself. Soon, but never now. So I was slightly at a loss. It was over. Two years of hiding who I am, over. But what now? Can I finally be myself? Should I don a new façade? I had made myself sick of thinking about it. I played out all the scenarios, backwards and forwards, but they all came out in pain, sadness, and death. 

So what do you do when you run out of ideas? Seek help. Two heads are better than one after all. The persona I created would be too proud to ask for help. Too arrogant to believe he needed it. Perhaps I had really been like that, at first. But I have been humbled too many times; have paid the price for my victories with sweat and blood, and now it would be others who would suffer if I failed. Yes, I am definitely asking for help.

But who?

Someone calm. Someone who was familiar with the situation. Someone who knew all the angles and could manipulate them to their advantage. I smiled. I knew exactly which girl to ask.

When I came to her, she was wearing that smirk that she always had. The one that masked all emotion. How many times had I seen it? How many times had I been pitted against it? Enough for me to respect her. To know what she could and could not do. And this she could do, she had to.

"What do you want?" She asked me.

"Your help" I said simply

She didn't show it, but she was surprised at that, and I knew it. I had acted far too well, and now as hard as I had worked to trick people I would have to make them realize it was a lie.

"And before you say it, I think it's in your best interest to do this free of charge."

She was surprised yet again, but kept silent.

"This has to end…"

Now she looked at me inquisitively. Inwardly, I sighed.

"Let me ask you a question, the Ranma that arrived on your doorstep two years ago, and the one that stands before you, how are they different?"

She had no answer for that.

"They aren't, are they? Doesn't that seem weird to you? I've been belittled, admired, rejected, loved, hated, do you honestly think I came out of all of that unscathed? That those events haven't shaped my views of the world even a little? That sounds pretty stupid to me…"

She had nothing to say to that, so I continued.

"It's all been an act, the question is, would you like to know why?"

She nodded.

"To keep them in line." We both knew exactly who I was referring to.

"Did you fail to notice that I was nice enough to each of them to keep them hoping, but never enough for them to claim me? I helped them when they needed it, but never when they didn't. When they were sad I was there, but when things were fine I wasn't. You all thought it was my ineptitude with women. But it's quite the opposite. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a heartless bastard, I do have feelings for them, the feelings just have nothing to do with what I show.

She decided it was time to speak up. "Why?"

"Why? You realize what will happen to those I don't choose, don't you? One will be killed, another disowned, one would have her family honor stained, and the last would be pushed over the edge and fall into depression. Where does that leave me? Leave everyone? Even if the feelings were returned, that leaves two people happy, and three people's lives shattered."

"So that's why you…"

"Yes."

"So what's changed?"

I was shocked. Was she blind? They had explosives. Explosives! This wasn't there normal childish tricks. Why did no one notice that? This was serious. People could have died, would have died, if I hadn't intervened. But how could I tell her this? She who invited these people. She who I knew deep down cared for her family, how could I bring myself to tell her that her greed put them all in danger? So I didn't. I lied. You'd think I would have gotten used to it by now…

"I'm just getting tired of it. But I don't know how to end it. That's why I need your help."

She looked at me for a moment, as if she had trouble believing all that I had said. I can't blame here, I hid myself far too well, getting people to see the real me will be harder that I intended it to. Finally she spoke,

"So which one do you want?"

There it was. With one question, she revealed she had disregarded everything I had said, or perhaps she still didn't see how much I had changed. Either way, I had to get it through her head.

"Don't you get it? It doesn't matter who I like. This is bigger that me. Me coming out of this happy would be a nice bonus, a luxury, one that we most likely won't be able to afford. Can't you see? How fragile this situation is? People could die! Die, you know, as in gone forever and never coming back. You think who I marry is a priority right now?"

I was shouting by the time I finished. Damn. I hadn't meant to lose my temper. But if frustrated me so much. I had sacrificed everything I could these last two years, and still no none understood what I had delayed. Why was it so hard for them to see the danger they were all in?

I spoke again, this time calmly, "I though you had a good grasp of the situation. I can see I was wrong. Sorry for bothering you."

I turned to leave the room, but was stopped. I turned around and saw her face. I was shocked; she looked like she was on the verge of tears. The girl who had the best poker face I had ever seen, who probably had hidden her emotions just as much as I did, was breaking down. Shit. Not now. Not on top of all this. I need her help. She had to pull it together. I hugged her in what I hoped was a comforting way. She didn't speak, just leaned in a little. For a while the room was filled with a blissful silence.

She finally spoke up. "Denial."

"What?"

"I was in denial."

That was definitely not the reaction I was expecting. She went on.

"…because…because if what you said was true, it was my fault, wasn't it? You won't say it, but it was the wedding, and I invited them…all my fault."

She was crying again, this was not going well. I hugged her closely and soothingly whispered "It's okay, you didn't know."

Her sobs quieted down after a while, and she remained motionless, her face buried in my chest. If someone had walked into the room, they would have seen the smile on my face. A genuine, glad-to-be-alive smile. I hadn't had one of those in years. For the first time I was where I wanted to be. I nearly sighed in content, but I knew better. Now was not the time for this, now was the time to plan. I lifted her head.

"Nabiki…"

She cut me off. "I'll help, for free even."

I grinned.

"Just don't expect any more freebies." She said.

"Oh, I would never dream of it." I said in mock seriousness.

She finally seemed to notice our position, and pulled away.

"You better get going, I'll see if I can think of anything by tomorrow."

As I took a last look at her face I noticed she was blushing faintly. Or maybe it was my imagination. I left the room with new thoughts on my mind, maybe she…

"Hey, baka!"

I snapped my head up. Oh great, it was her, and now I had to put the mask back up. Like I was supposed to just drop everything I was and just become a person who I quite honestly disliked.

"Whad'ya want tomboy?" Okay, maybe it was a bit easier than I thought.

"I said dinner was ready but you just stared into space, what's wrong, is your brain broken?"

I really didn't want to fight right then.

"Sure, tomboy." I muttered half-heartedly.

Akane got a worried look on her face. That look that she gets when she actually figures out I'm troubled. It's kinda sweet. Sweet enough to make up for the mallet blows?

Hell no.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

'I'm trying to keep you alive, you dumbass!' I want to shout.

Instead I say "Nothing an uncute girl like you needs to worry about."

"Fine! Here I was worried about you! Ugh! See if I ever help you again!"

"Feh." I say as she stomps off muttering about 'perverted jerks'.

At least she's gone. I need time to think. That meant being alone. I sighed as I realized how hard that was getting lately. I decided I'd pretend to go to sleep and think then. So I trudged up to my room and got into my futon. Before I knew it I was asleep, guess I was more tired than I thought.

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Author's Note: So, was it any good? You know I actually don't care for most of my work, but I kinda like this one. First off, I get to make Ranma as OOC as I want, and can use the 'he was hiding who he truly was the entire time' excuse, it's awesome. I hope I didn't make anyone else too OOC, I'll just have to see. Oh, and let's get this out of the way right now, this fic is definitely not RxA people. And I'm 99 sure it's going to be RxN…but you never know… 

C&C or the bogeyman shall devour you soul…and your shoes I'm told.


	2. Falling

Michael Gutin

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Disclaimer: What do you want from me? Are you implying that the characters I'm using aren't really mine? Preposterous. Huh…what's what? Is that a lawsu…damn…that's a lot of money…fine, characters property of Rumiko Takahashi.

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Walking a Thin Line

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Chapter 2

Falling

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I wake up normally for once. No damned pandas or buckets full of cold water. I realized I had missed the silence. Just another reason to sort out this mess, I suppose. I get dressed and step out of my room. As I walk down the hall, I notice that Nabiki is standing at the entrance, waiting for me. Could she have figured out a way out of this so soon? I doubt it, but I follow her in anyways.

She sits down, but says nothing. Okay, forget about silence, I'm getting impatient here.

"Well?" I ask her, a little more harshly then I intended. What's with me? That's twice in two days. Must be nerves. Nabiki just looked at me for a moment, then sighed. Yeah, this definitely isn't going to be good news. As I take a good look at Nabiki, I realize she must have stayed up a long time. Her hair was a mess, and she had bags under her eyes. She still looked great though. All the Tendo girls do, but I always thought Nabiki looked the best. That one day when she wore the…gah! I can't be thinking about that now of all times. Luckily I was snapped out of my thoughts by her voice.

"This is tricky…" she finally said.

"No, really?" I replied.

She glared at me. "I'm trying to help you here."

"Sorry, I just…" She was right. She was trying to help me. Why was I being such a jerk? But every since yesterday I'd been off. I should be concentrating on the fiancé problem, but my thoughts had been wondering. It finally really hit me that I could be myself now. Over the past two years, I'd been so busy thinking of how 'he' would act, I never really got a chance to think about how I really felt about it. Nabiki had asked 'Which one do you want?' but I hadn't answered. I said it was because I didn't care…but was it because I didn't know? Do I even want any of them? I've been acting like I love Akane for so long, but do I? No…she's a martial artist, but so are Ukyo and Shampoo. She can be nice, but she's never as nice as Kasumi. The fact that she's a tomboy…actually, it never mattered to me either way. And people say she's strong, but she would never have had the guts to do some of the things Nabiki has done. And her temper, god how I abhor it. Yes, I will definitely be glad to get rid of her.

See? I just did it again. I have to focus.

"So have you come up with anything?" I asked, the hopefulness in my voice so evident it was pathetic.

"No." Of course not. I had thought about this for weeks. I shouldn't expect her to do it in a day. But there was something else I needed advice with.

"Erm, Nabiki…you realize you're the only one that knows about me." She looked confused. "You know, the real me." I clarified, "The rest are still buying my act."

"Oh…" she said as it finally dawned on her.

"So, do you think I should keep it up?"

"For now, after all we don't know how everyone will react to this new you, and the less we know, the worse off we'll be." Makes sense, but still…

"Nabiki, remember that the reason I came to you is because things have changed. We will have to do something new, and we'll have to do it soon."

"I know Ranma, I know."

"Oh, and Nabiki…"

"Yes?"

"Thanks." She smiled. Was it a genuine smile on Nabiki's face? Nah, couldn't be, it is Nabiki I'm talking about. Either way, I smiled back before getting up and leaving to eat breakfast.

Breakfast. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but one of the things me and…I should really give my alter ego a name, hmm...I've never been a creative sort of guy, so I'll just call him 'Old Ranma'. Anyway, me and Old Ranma both do have that same enthusiasm for food. Of course, I'm not rude enough to eat like Old Ranma, but I sure want to. So here, at the table, is one of the few times I don't really have to act. Pretty weird reason to look forward to breakfast, but then coming from a guy who turns into a girl when splashed with cold water…

I noticed Akane glaring at me. Was this because of yesterday, or something new I did wrong? Whatever it is, it's keeping her quiet, so I'm thankful for it. It's always been a balancing game with Akane. Keeping her angry enough to leave me alone for the most part, ye not mad enough to mallet me. Looked like for once I was winning without even trying, so I was in a pretty good mood. I guess because I got up early, I finished about the time Nabiki did. I figured the more time we had to talk the better, and a walk to school would be a golden opportunity. But I couldn't draw suspicion…Aha! This'll be easier than I thought.

As soon as Nabiki got up to leave, I said "Hey, Nabiki wait for me."

Everyone looked at me, shocked, including Nabiki. I winked at her before exclaiming "What? I'd rather go with anyone over that uncute tomboy over there."

Akane's reaction was obvious. "RAAANMAAA!" but before she could get violent, I quickly grabbed Nabiki's hand and ran out the door, calling back "Gotta go!"

We ran for a while before finally slowing down. I waited for Nabiki to catch her breath. Gotta remember that she's not a marital artist like most of the people I hang out with.

I decide to start some conversation. "So, pretty good eh?"

"Er, Ranma?"

"What?" I asked, slightly deflated.

"Can I have my hand back?"

Whoops. I quickly let go of her hand. "Sorry." I said and bowed.

She smiled slyly "It's okay, just don't let it happen again Saotome"

"Ha." I say as arrogantly as I can "You got to hold the hand of Ranma Saotome, you should be honored."

We both burst out laughing. After the laughter subsided, I looked at her and grinned. "I haven't had a good laugh like that in a long time."

"Me neither…"

I noticed her staring at me and turned away. "Yeah…"

"We should probably go."

"Yeah…"

We both continued our trip to school in silence. How the hell did things turn so awkward?

We reached the entrance to school. "Well, bye Saotome." Nabiki said as she walked off.

"Sure.." I muttered.

I stood there for a moment before I realized… "Dammit, I was supposed to talk about the fiancé thing. Argh!"

How had I forgotten about that? Like I said before, I was probably off…no, I was fine this morning, and I'm perfectly normal now. Was it because of her? I really needed to think about this, but of course it was at this time that the bell chose to ring, so instead I half-heartedly made my way to school.

Yet another act. Now, I wouldn't go as far as saying I liked going to school. But I had an enthusiasm for it that Old Ranma never did. You have to understand, I love martial arts. Him? He's obsessed with them. It's his life. To him activities are measured in terms of their relevance to martial arts. In his perfect world all, and I mean all, conflicts would be solved through fighting. Disease, famine, love, hate, loneliness, depression would all be solved through fighting. That was why he picked fights all the time. It wasn't something he was good at, it was the only thing he could do. That's why he hated school, not really because the actual subject matter bored him, but because it had nothing to do with martial arts, and so it was useless to him. I actually listen to the teachers more than anyone knows. When I pretend to be asleep, most of the time I'm paying as much attention as possible to make up for not being able to see the board. I can't let anyone know this, so I do bad on the tests on purpose. It's frustrating, maybe I wouldn't ace my test, but just once I'd like to know how I really did. Stupid, stupid Old Ranma. I never realized how much I hated him, because I had to become him, until this moment. But it would be over soon. Yes, I have to keep sight of the goal. That final goal. Happiness? No, I just want to get rid of him. Of course I want everyone around me to come out of this okay, but that was my personal salvation, just to finally get rid of him.

I noticed that Ukyo wasn't here. Not good. If she was here, than maybe I was overacting. Maybe it hall all just been another attempt to separate Old Ranma and Akane. Everything would be back how it was. But she wasn't. It that the girls, or Ukyo at least, realized they had pushed things too far. What would they do now? Back off? Not even in my wildest dreams. Re-double their efforts? Undoubtedly, but how? What will they do? How far will they go? So many questions, I already knew I couldn't answer enough of them. I had to have faith in Nabiki.

Please, whatever Gods are out there, please let there be an end to this, and guide me to it. I wanted this more than anyone knew, because I have another secret. Something that not even Nabiki knows. I would never tell her, never tell anyone. That if…if there's nothing to be done, there is always a way to stop this with only one death. That if this escalates, the dying of one man shall put an end to tit. That this could be over at any time and the price would be the death of person. Me.

The bell rings for lunch. I have more important things to do than eat. Nabiki approaches me once I get outside. Loud enough for several people to hear she says

"I've got to talk to you about that money you owe me."

She led me to a more secluded spot. "I have an idea."

"You do?" Wow, I sounded desperate.

"Look, first thing we have to do is try to calm things down, only after that can we figure out a way to get rid of them."

"Oh." I was a little disappointed, but she was right. We had to make sure nothing dangerous happens again, at least, not for a while.

"You have to really get it through their heads that what they did was bad, and should not be repeated." She told me.

"That's it?" Seemed to easy.

"No." There we go.

"You see, if you just come up to them and start yelling at them…"

"…it would seem like I was choosing Akane."

"Exactly."

"But…"

"But if you make it perfectly clear that you have no intention of marrying Akane, then maybe they'll back off."

"Hey, that's a pretty good idea."

"Of course it is, I though of it."

"Meaning what?"

"Merely that I am an underappreciated genius who can do anything I put my mind too."

"Which is why you're reduced to taking pictures of my girl from while I sleep?"

"Well…Hey! You know about that?"

"Of course, you're not the only genius here."

She laughed at that. "Sure Saotome, well, I have to go."

"Off to blackmail some poor kid out of his lunch money?"

She mock-growled at me "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"Well, goodbye Ice-Queen."

"Goodbye baka."

She left, leaving me feeling better than I had been in days. But was it because we finally had the start to our plan, or was it because of the time I spent with her…

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Author's Notes: Yup, another chapter finished. I thought it was pretty good, and quite frankly I think most of my stories suck. But not this one. I'm enjoying writing this story. So much that I've actually written a bit ahead, and just have to motivate myself to type it up on the computer. See, I write a lot of this crap when I should be doing homework at school, and my handwriting sucks, so it's always annoying to get my stories into electronic form.

Reward my effort with C&C and donuts.

Yes, I'm serious, donuts.

If one of you mailed me a donut, it would definitely make my day.


	3. Bracing

Michael Gutin

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Disclaimer: I how I loathe to write these (A/N: This is a blatant lie, I love writing these, attempting to write something witty, and then fooling myself into thinking that everyone finds these hilarious, when in fact, NOBODY READS THIS!) as I was saying, I really hate writing that these characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi, but I did anyway, I hope you're grateful.

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Walking a Thin Line

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Chapter 3

Bracing

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School let out without anything eventful happening. I had been spending too much time with Nabiki recently, even if we had made up excuses. So I was walking home with Akane on my usual spot at the top of the fence. We hadn't spoken. Was she still mad at me, or did she just have nothing to say? All I know is when Akane is quiet; it's never a good thing.

"So how was your day?" I heard myself ask. What in the seven hells possessed me to say that?

She stared at me. "It was fine, Ranma" she said slowly.

This isn't how old Ranma is supposed to act! I can't screw up when I'm so close…

"It's just that when you frown, you're even more uncute than usual!"

"RAAAANMAAA!" she screamed and malleted me into orbit. As I flew through the air, the only thought that entered my head was 'Whew! Nice Save!'

As luck would have it, I managed to land in the Tendo house, more specifically, into Nabiki's room. Now, since it is me, I of course crashed through her window as she was in there, changing out of her school uniform.

"Ah! Nabiki! I'm so sorry!" I closed my eyes and scuttled back as fast as I could. It was pretty pathetic, but hey, I've lived with Akane for two years, so my reaction is pure reflex at this point.

Nabiki laughed at my antics. "It's okay Saotome; I know it's not your fault."

I relaxed and opened eyes. Mistake. She wasn't done changing yet. Now, Nabiki was definitely no Akane when it came to these kinds of things, but apparently even she had her limits.

"Raaanmaaa…" she said I much quieter than Akane ever did. And yet it was much scarier than Akane on her worst day.

"Sorry! So sorry!" I once again began my scuttling motion. Problem is, I was already backed up against the window.

So of course I topple over and fall, two stories, head first. That hurts, even for me. By then, Nabiki had finished changing. She popped her head out the window to laugh at me.

"And Akane's always calling you a pervert, you're actually kind of a prude Saotome."

"Am not." I called back. What? I'm not…

"Oh please, you've got three women throwing themselves at you, and there's absolutely no reaction from you. You didn't enjoy it at all."

"Well yeah, but that's because…"

"You don't enjoy looking at woman naked, do you Ranma?"

"That's not true! I enjoyed looking at you…" I blurted out.

Fuck! What the hell am I saying? Looks like both me and Old Ranma like to talk before we think. I waited for Nabiki to make a jab at me. But she was silent. I mustered up the courage to look up, and I saw her blushing. Definitely wasn't imagining it this time.

It was true…I mean, I didn't really see that much…but what I did see…Oh! There's Akane. Whew, she saved us from a very awkward situation. Apparently, the sight of me on the ground staring up at Nabiki was enough to arouse her curiosity, and of course her suspicion.

"Ranma…" she narrowed her eyes. "What were you doing with my sister?"

Oh shit. Oh shit. This is bad. If Nabiki tells…she wouldn't tell would she? I looked up into her eyes. She would. Shit.

"I could tell you exactly what happened, for two thousand yen…"

"NO!" I said, all too quickly. "Nothing happened I just…and then she…" Oh yeah, I was real smooth…

I had to distract her. "Ah…Akane, um…I'd like too…too apologize, yeah, that's it!"

I started to lead Akane away from Nabiki as I talked. "Yeah, I've…you know, I've said some mean things to you and…and I'm sorry."

Akane was silent for a moment before saying "You've been acting strange lately."

She was right, I was. Why? I'd been doing this so well for two year, why was I slipping now?

"Yeah well, I've been thinking…"

"About?"

"You know…stuff…"

"About the wedding?" All the warning bells in my head were going off at this point. This was a dangerous topic. I wanted, needed to stay away from this topic as much as possible. Damn, where was Nabiki when you needed her? Should I tell her the truth? No. I could…no, not that, definitely not that. I noticed Akane staring at me intently. I realized I hadn't spoken for almost a full minute.

"Er…a little, and about other stuff…" That was a good answer. I think.

"Ranma…there's something I need to…" Emergency! Evacuate immediately! My brain was screaming at me at this point.

"Is it cold out here Akane? Or is just me? Is it? Are you cold? I think you're cold, lets go inside." I managed to say this all in less than three seconds.

Akane stood firm. "Ranma it's the middle of spring. Look we have to…"

"Eat? Yeah, we should eat, I'm starving" I said, before running back inside like a bat out of hell. Tragedy averted, for now.

I wasn't really hungry, but it is me, and I always had room for at least some rice. As I ate, I pondered my situation. I was in worse shape then I thought. Nabiki would have handled that without breaking a sweat, and I nearly screwed it up. Nabiki was clever enough to wing that kind of thing. But I needed a plan. This would not be the last time I would have to get out of these kinds of talks. One of the times I won't be able to think of an excuse, I'll have to actually talk about it. I could ask Nabiki…but, for some reason, I didn't want to. I know I had asked her for help, but I didn't ask her to get me out of this mess for me. I couldn't depend on her like some sick puppy. I should to figure what to do for at least this. Just have to think…I can't marry them…why…I can't tell them the truth.

That I don't love them…that I love…I love…Nabiki

Huh? Where'd that come from? I don't love Nabiki, do I? Sure I prefer her company over any of my fiancés, and we have been getting along quiet well lately. But that, that's not love, and besides…it wouldn't work…just too many people would be against it. Wouldn't it be nice though…

Concentrate. Ok. What to tell them? Tell them…I still have a lot of thinking to do. No, that wouldn't work. Would it? Maybe it would…It's the best idea that I can come up with. I really hope it's good enough…because if I screw this up…I…I don't even want to think about what will happen. I have to believe in myself. That's half the battle. One way or another I will fix this mess. I just hope it won't end up my final victory…

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Authors Notes: So…how'd I do? After I reread this, I noticed it wasn't quite as heavy as the other two chapters. This chapter even bordered on comical. Meh. I don't really mind, I just wanted a chapter to show more of the growing relationship between Nabiki and Ranma. It's one of the two things I hope will make this fic stand out. You see, the vast majority of alternate pairing fics have one or both of these problems: First, a lot of fics have Ranma loving someone else with no explanation for why, I'm sorry people, but as much as you may hate Akane, in the end of the final manga, Ranma does shout "I love you" referring to Akane, if you want him to love someone else, I'm for that, but only if you dedicate at least a part of your story to showing Ranma falling out of love with Akane, and in love with whoever you choose for him. The second, is people portraying Akane as a complete psycho-bitch. Now, she is mostly a psycho bitch, but, she is perfectly normal and even kind at times. She does not explode every time Ranma blinks. Not all the time, but most of the time she is provoked at least slightly before she hits Ranma. I'm not saying how she treats Ranma is right, but she's like all the other Takahashi characters, she has good points and bad, and I'm just tired of people giving her such a one-dimensional personality.

Wow that was a long author's note. Ah well. You know you love it. And you should voice your love! With C&C! And I still don't have my donut people…


	4. Impacting

Michael Gutin

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Disclaimer: So apparently…people do read this…ok, so one person does (Go ss4-link!), so that means I actually have to work hard to make this the most thought provoking and entertaining disclaimer that has ever been seen by….you know what? Screw it, I forgot to factor in that I'm lazy as hell, so I'll just say characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi and be done with it.

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I wasn't going to do the whole reviewer response thing like I do with Sick of It, but there were a lot of things I did want to answer…so without further ado:

Responses!

(That section of the fic you scroll through.)

**Baron Hausenpheffer**: (Isn't it spelled Hasenpfeffer?) Well, two things. First, this takes place AFTER the end of the manga, so technically, it can't be an AU. I could even have crime-fighting, time-traveling cheetos from outer space, and it still wouldn't be AU, because AU's diverge at some point BEFORE the end of the manga. So there. Nyah nyah! (Man, childish sound really don't come across very well in writing.) The second thing is, a playa would be someone who gets lots of girls, am I right? While Ranma, despite having three fiancés, has a grand total of…that's right, zero girls. That would make him the opposite of a player, now wouldn't it? Ha!

**Babs Yerunkle**: A lot of people have mentioned the story "Masks We Must Wear" and as a matter of fact, I have read that fic, and must say that it was part of the inspiration for this one. If you haven't read it yet, you really should, it's a great fic. I don't know the link but you'll probably find it if you google it. Next, I 'd like to thank you for reminding me about Mousse and Ryoga. Sadly enough, I was really focusing on how Ranma would solve the fiancé problem, that I completely forgot about his rivals, but now that I think about it, I definitely have some interesting and rather…well, unusual ideas concerning Ranma's stance on both of them, let's just say, his reason for keeping P-Chan a secret has nothing to do with honor (Which sadly enough, even with this little amount of detail, is already way different than 99 percent of fics out there.) One final thing, you say that Takashi makes "obvious" pairings, yet I disagree with most of them. First, ShampooXMousse/KonatsuXUkyo, with both of these, the guys that you claim will end up with the girls have the exact same relationship as the girls have with Ranma (i.e. Ranma considers Ukyo friend, Ukyo considers Konatsu a friend, Shampoo very forcefully chases Ranma, Mousse very forcefully chases Shampoo.) So the chances of these pairing occurring are about the same as the chances of either of the girls getting with Ranma, and you've already pointed out that Akane is the obvious pairing for Ranma. And as for Nabiki and the money guy, there was not a single bit of romance between them. If you remember, Akane thought Nabiki was sad that the guy left when she really just wished she had asked him for more money. Wow that was long, to the next person!

**WonderBee31**: I fully agree with you. The one thing I really didn't like about Takahashi's writing is that every single one of her characters were static. Compare the characters core personalities at the end of the final manga, and when they were first introduced. They are exactly the same. Because of this, the only way she could ever get new things to happen, was to introduce more static characters, which is why there were so many in the series.

**Aondehafka:** I just want to comment on your question "Are you willing to consider multiple girls with Ranma?" I have considered multiple girls with Ranma. However, the scenes that ensue always seem to be of 'R' nature.

…(Great name there.) Do I hate Ranma? Good question. The answer, however, is no. There are two main things you should realize. First, **the views of my characters are not my own**, this is an assumption I think many people make, and it's simply not true. Though part of what I'm trying to say about every character does come out in what I write, I try to make the characters behave how I think they would based on how they behaved in the manga, not on how I want them to behave. Secondly, the Ranma I have does hate the old Ranma. But it's more of a resentment. If you had to pretend to be someone for two years, and do things you thought were stupid and cruel because it's what he would have done, you would probably hate or at least resent him as well.

On with the story. (Which I have to make significantly longer than this section because otherwise it gives the appearance that I prefer talking about my story over actually writing it. See people? The more you review, the more I have to write.)

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Walking a Thin Line

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Chapter 4

Impacting

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As I thought about my fiancés I felt a familiar twinge of guilt. I really did feel bad whenever I made one of them cry, especially Akane. I had been torturing her so much for two years. Always infuriating her, and then comforting her. Making her love me and hate me at the same time. And soon, she would not only find out the person she loved didn't love her, but that he didn't exist, that he was just an act. I believed from the start it had to be done, I still do.

But that doesn't stop the guilt, nothing does.

I think…that's why I'm willing to end this at any cost, including my own life. Not because it's the selfless thing to do, but because it's selfish. I feel bad enough as it is, if this screws up any of their lives permanently I…I'd choose death of living with the guilt.

No. I can't think like that. Not yet. Not while there's a chance to fix everything. A chance that rests solely on Nabiki, my…my savior.

The irony isn't lost on me.

Oh, I had finished eating. Now what to do? Neither Mr. Tendo nor my father were here, Akane was probably mad at me now; she wouldn't bother me for a while. Sounded like an excellent time for some more planning with Nabiki.

I went up the stairs and entered her room. She seemed very absorbed at something on her desk. I don't know what possessed me to do this, but I decided to be as quiet as possible. I carefully walked over until I was next to her, and whispered into here ear "Gotcha!"

Hmm. Didn't know she could jump that high. "What was that for Saotome?"

"Hey, it's not my fault you were so focused on what you where doing. I've never seen you so focused in my life…must have been a lot of money." I replied.

"Ha ha, very funny, I'll have you know I was actually thinking about ways to deal with your fiancés."

Now that was interesting. At first I had to convince her to help me. But now she seemed willing to do it. Like she wanted to help me out. Like she actually cared about me…

She seemed to have caught my rapid change in expression. "Don't flatter yourself Saotome; I'm doing this because it's a challenge." She gave me a feral grin. "And I love challenges."

"Another thing we have in common…" I muttered.

"Oh?" she said inquisitively.

"You know" I said "the acting, I'm not the only one who has to cover up how the feel Nabiki. I know it, because I've seen glimpses of the real Nabiki, in these last couple of days…to tell you the truth, I'd like to see more."

I noticed she was blushing. Why? It was then I noticed how close we were, as I had spoken, I had unconsciously lowered my head down, until it was almost touching Nabiki's. I could feel her breath on my neck. Could smell her. Damn that smelled nice. I was so close I could see the sweat coming down her neck, until it disappeared between the small bit of cleavage that could be seen above the 'V' of her collar. As I became aware of our closeness I began to sweat as well, and turned my head to gaze into her eyes.

Brown. Such a lovely brown. They held so much emotion…but they hid just as much. But what? I wanted to know, needed to know. I was captivated by them. The conversation completely forgotten as I stared at her. I found myself moving my head even closer.

But then she turned away, breaking the spell. I suddenly felt very conscious, and moved my head away as fast as I could. I noticed I was sweating, and judging by the heat on my face, blushing. I looked back over at Nabiki and noticed she was blushing as well.

Had we just…did we almost…

It hit me, we almost had. I had wanted to, gods I had wanted to. Of all the girls, the one I wanted to kiss was Nabiki…and she, had she wanted to as well?

No, it can't be…it was Nabiki we were talking about.

But she had been blushing as well…could she…could we…

There could never be a 'we'. The thought struck me, and with it came a despair like I had never known. It wouldn't work. The fiancés…it was hard enough…me and her, it would be impossible. Too many obstacles, too many people in the way. I wouldn't walk out of this with the woman I wanted.

But I had known that from the start. I had come to grips with it. Accepted it. Even…been comforted by it, because as soon as I realized I would not be married because of love, I realized it really didn't matter to me who I did marry.

So why now? Why does this fact now make me sick to my stomach?

And Nabiki…what does she think of all this? Does she…could she? No, it wouldn't make sense. She had known the old me for two years, and the new me for two days. She couldn't possibly through away all things she had come to learn about Old Ranma, and come to full accept the real me that quickly.

Why is she just sitting there. Staring at her desk. Why won't she say something? Is she thinking too? About us?

Gotta stop thinking like that. There is no 'us'. Because there can't be an 'us'. Not now, not ever.

The plan. That's what I have to focus on. The other things…are just stupid dreams…

"Nabiki…" I said softly. She turned her head up to look at me, but I couldn't look her in the eyes, I just couldn't. So I turned my head away "I just wanted to know if you figured out anything new."

"Oh." She sounded disappointed. No, it's probably just wishful thinking. "Well, I was thinking, if we told Akane about the plan…"

"WHAT?" I practically screamed at her.

"Calm down Ranma, not the entire thing, just a small part."

"Huh?" was all I could utter in response.

"Look, we have to convince Ukyo and Shampoo that you don't love Akane, but to do that, you would have to really tell her off. I mean brutally, you would have to leave her in tears."

"But I don't…"

"I know, you don't want to hurt Akane."

"Or anyone…" I muttered.

"Exactly, so what we do is warn Akane about what you're going to do, you can tell her off in front of the two girls and that's the end of that."

"You think it'll work?"

"Sure, Akane's a pretty good actor, and with her in the know, it'll make the set-up a lot easier. But…"

"There's always a but…" I sighed.

"Hey, no plan's perfect Saotome."

"Not even the great Nabiki's?"

"Not even mine."

"I'm disappointed in you Nabiki Tendo."

"Now you're just trying to distract me, aren't you?"

"It's working, isn't it?" It was so strange. How much I enjoyed the teasing. It was so…so light-hearted. Nothing serious was said. We both knew we were just joking…it was just…fun. But you can't have fun forever. I noticed Nabiki's face grow serious again.

"The hardest part of this, Ranma, is getting Akane to go along with it."

I nodded. This entire plan made me…uneasy. Working with Akane was like working with a bomb. She could make things a lot easier if we played things right, but one wrong move and BOOM!

But I trusted Nabiki, if she said this would work, it would.

"Now Ranma, it would look way too suspicious if I asked her to do this, so it'll have be you."

"You think she'll do it?"

"It depends, the old you will get a mallet to the head, that I know, but the question is, do you think the new you could convince her?"

Good question. Could I? This is one time when Old Ranma could really screw me over. If I acted too much like him, we would just fight again. But if I acted too different from him, Akane would get suspicious. But, I think I can do it, if I really try. So I nodded to her, and turned to leave the room.

"Good luck." She told me as I stepped out of the room.

"I'll need it…" I muttered, hopefully not loud enough for her to hear.

I took in a deep breath and let it out. Calm. I had to be calm. This was a pivotal point. The first real step in the plan. If I screwed this very first time, how well could the rest of it go? No. Don't think about that. That'll just make me nervous.

Akane was in her room doing homework. She didn't look to into it. That's good. She's probably bored. She'll be glad that I interrupted her. Won't she? Please?

"Um…Akane…" I said nervously. She turned around.

"What is it?" she asked, no trace of anger in her voice.

Yes! I had chosen correctly, looked like she was in a mood to talk.

"I need to talk to you about…my fiancés." I braced myself.

Her face darkened, that familiar scowl made it's presence known, but she was silent.

I let out the breath I didn't know I had been holding. "Well, I…I have to make sure that nothing like the wedding happens again…you…people, could have been killed…"

She nodded. I continued, "I…I need your help…"

"YOU need MY help?" she asked. Great, she was suspicious, let's see, what would Old Ranma do? Instances of me yelling 'uncute' and 'tomboy' flashed through my head. No…besides that…Oh, I got it!

"Fine, don't help me! I just thought you cared, that's all…" There we go. Sounds like something he would say, and Akane can't refuse when I put it like that.

"No! That's not what I meant, I'll help you out." She said before I could even turn around.

I had to keep myself from grinning. That was easier than I thought.

"I'll tell you about it later 'Kane." I said as I walked out of the room.

It had been quite around the house lately, no rivals bursting in, no fiancés offering me dinner, it was nice, but at the same time almost…boring. Oh well.

I trained a bit in the dojo, ate some dinner, and went to my room to sleep.

I looked over at my backpack, where most of my stuff was kept. I noticed a book peeking out of the top. I walked over to my backpack and picked it up.

Romeo and Juliet.

I smiled to myself, I remembered it was one of the few books I got to read, under the guise that I was rehearsing for the play. I still remembered that play, wow, if Shakespeare had been around to see it he would have wept at how much we butchered it. But it was one of the few times I had fun.

But I have no time for plays now. I'm already in one. The play that is my life. The stage has been set for two years now. The players are almost ready. Soon all that will be left is to watch.

I sure hope it doesn't end up a tragedy…

* * *

A/N: Another chapter done. I think I did pretty well, but that's not the point. The point is if you readers think I did really well so, C & C, especially about the romantic portions of my story. This would be the first even slightly romantic story I've ever written, so any feedback besides "you suck, go home" would be really appreciated. 


	5. Collapsing

Michael Gutin

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Disclaimer: I'm really getting sick of these. Just…er…go look at one of my other ones! Yeah, that's it. Whatever it says on those, stick it here. See? It works.

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I think we all know what I'm going to do next:

**Wonderbee31**: It's not so much that Ranma is looking for an excuse; it's more that he wants to stop any trains of thought involving him and Nabiki before they get his hopes up, as he really doesn't believe there's a chance for them.

**dennisud**: Actually, one of the favorite things I like to hear about my stories is that they are realistic. I think it's because so many stories on though they can still be good, simply aren't, and all my favorite stories are most definitely are, so yeah, thanks for that.

**TornadoReviewer**: I was actually not quite sure and how the scene between Ranma and Nabiki would be received, since it's the first time I've written that kind of thing. Good to know at least one person enjoyed it.

**nonengel**: You like the mood, eh? That is a very good thing, because the mood of the story is one thing I'm trying to put more work into than I usually do in my stories, as I've found that does so much more for the story than one would expect. Good to know I've at least partially succeeded.

Onward to the glorious story!

* * *

**Walking a Thin Line**

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**Chapter 5**

**Collapsing**

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I woke up flying through the air, great, looks like Pops woke me up today. I sparred with him, won of course, and come out of it as a girl.

The curse.

I had thought about it a lot. What it did to me. What it made me. Old Ranma hated it, plain and simple. It threatened his masculinity, and so he hated it. Me? I'm not so sure. Given the chance, would I get rid of it? Of course. If for nothing more than to be normal. Well, more normal. After all, explaining the curse to every person you meet really gets old. Old Ranma, at Jusendo, claimed he had accepted his curse. It was…it was like find out you had a fatal disease and accepting you were going to die. It was a defeat. A humiliation. A necessary evil. But me, well, it's like this:

What separates a boy from a girl? There are so many things I had grown up hearing that separated the two. But in the end, they're all just generalizations. Really, try out every stereo type you know. Girls like dressing up, well, what about transvestites? Guys are aggressive? Akane is enough to show that false. Even that only guys like girls, after all, there are lesbians out there.

What does that leave? What is there separating boys and girls? Breasts and ovaries. That's it. My curse gives me these. What does that mean? This:

Hi. I'm Ranma Saotome, I'm sometimes a boy and sometimes a girl, get over it.

It freaked me out at first. Being a guy was so…ingrained. No matter what happened, no matter how I turned out, a hero, a liar, a coward, a bum, just another person trudging through their life, I though I would always go through life as a male. Turns out that's not the case. But, it doesn't bother me anymore, not really. The only thing I fear is other people's reactions. I know it shouldn't matter, that if people don't accept me they're not worth it, but it hurts. When someone rejects you, not because of how you act, or something you did, but because of something you have no control over, it hurts. But I've been pretty lucky, the Tendo's and my fiancés seem to accept it fine. Well, except for the occasional 'pervert' comment from Akane.

Now, I'm contemplating this during breakfast. Only after all this do I notice that both Akane and Nabiki both looked at me with exactly the same expression, both their faces saying 'We need to talk.' I grinned inwardly; Nabiki wants to know if it worked, Akane wants to know how she can help.

Sorry ladies, but you'll have to be kept in suspense a bit longer. It's Saturday, and I feel like enjoying the fresh air.

I don't know why, but I really didn't want to deal with the plan right now. I wanted… I wanted to spar. Yeah, sparring has always been a way for me to relieve anger and stress. And I had been really tense lately. If only I could fine…speak of the devil, there's good ol' Ryoga, as P-Chan of course. Now how to get him out without Akane noticing…

"Ranma" It was Nabiki.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"You know what, you owe me, if you don't have the money, we'll figure out other ways for you to repay." Damn. I had waited too long. Looks like sparing would have to wait until later.

I followed Nabiki into her room. She closed the door, placed her hand on her hips, and in her 'I need answers now' voice, demanded "Well?"

Ha, she ruined my would-be sparing session; I'll be exacting my revenge now.

"Well what?" I asked, my voice teeming with innocence.

"You know what." She told me.

"Oh, you wanted to know how my morning went? It was great, thanks for asking, you're always so caring Nabiki." Oh man, the expression on her face was just great.

"About Akane, Ranma" she managed to get out.

"Oh, why didn't you say so before? Hmmm…" I sat there a while pretending to think. While in reality I was hoping my ribs wouldn't crack form the strain it took not to laugh. Finally, I answered

"She seemed to have a nice morning as well."

Now, I'm not even exaggerating; Nabiki's left eyebrow, it started to twitch.

"Ranma…"

"What? You think I'm wrong? I mean, I'm not expert on these things, but she seemed to be having a good day to me."

"You damn well know what I'm asking you Saotome, tell me NOW!"

"Oh, but you didn't say the magic word!" Now, I'm a martial artist, and there was really no way Nabiki could do permanent physically harm to me. I know that, and she knows that. But at that moment, she looked like she was seriously considering strangling me. Looks like the fun is over.

"Okay, okay! I talked to her and she's agreed." Nabiki got a slightly relieved look on her face, before calmly walking towards me, leaning in, and…

…kneeing me in groin.

"And I thought…your sister…was the violent one…" I managed to get out as I rolled on the floor clutching the spot of the attack.

"You can go now, Saotome."

Oh no, I wasn't done yet. Ignoring the pain, I managed to get up, and put a smile on my face, before exclaiming "Aww, but we've been having so much fun Nab-chan"

She gritted her teeth. "Saotome, you really do owe me money you know…"

"Fine, fine, I'm leaving…"

I manage to take one step outside before I run into Akane. Shit, I just want to spar. Is that so much to ask for?

I stopped. What if it was? What if this is my destiny? Maybe I'm bound to live forever like this, having my life taken over by people's demands and expectations of me.

It…I guess it sound's stupid, but it could so easily be true. The plan, it was my last hope, my final stand, if didn't work…

I don't want to live like this anymore….

I…I really don't…

Akane is looking at me, with a worried expression on her face. "Ranma, what's wrong?"

"I'm…I'm fine." I get out, before plastering a fake grin on my face. "You…you wanted to talk right? So…let's…er, let's go to your room or something." I didn't give Akane a chance before heading over to her room, forcing her to follow.

What was wrong with me? For that split second, I had let my entire guard down.

Why?

'You know why' a voice in my head said 'because you nervous. No, you're frightened. Scared shitless. This plan won't work, and you won't take your life. You'll run. Like you always do. You little coward. You damn coward. Always running. Makes me sick.'

No. I don't run away, do I?

…

No. I won't run away this time, will I?

…

Please let this plan work.

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Author's Note: You people thought I wasn't going to update anymore. Ha! Showed you all! But I definitely have a reason for not updating. You must blame my friend, who has taken it into his hands to personally corrupt my poor, fragile mind. I must've broken more laws this week then…er, let's just say I've discovered that there are situations in which the answer to the question "Was that car close enough to read our license plate?" can be VERY important. 


	6. Bleeding

Michael Gutin

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Disclaimer: Insert another one of my disclaimers here

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Pfft, only got one review that I can really respond too, 'cause most of you have been too lazy to review. (You know who you are.)

Anyway, to answer your question ss4-link, think of it this way: For two years, Ranma did nothing to really help his fiancée problem; he just delayed having to face it, even though he knew he would have to eventually. I'd say that's running away, wouldn't you? I mean, he's facing it now, but who's to say how long this bout of bravado will last?

Hehe, bout of bravado is fun to say.

* * *

**Walking a Thin Line**

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**Chapter 6**

**Bleeding**

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I enter Akane's room, and so does she. I take a deep breath. I always pick the worst time to think of these things, don't I? I really should leave the soul searching and self-doubt 'till later.

"Well…" I began, "this is about the wedding. I…I can't let something like that happen again…"

"Huh?" was her brilliant response.

I didn't show it, but on the inside I was seething. Was I honestly the only one who gave a damn about what happened? Apparently so.

"Look, at the wedding, the fiancées they…they crossed a line."

She looked at me, confusion written all over her face. I resisted the urge to smack her upside the head. Gotta remember this is the girl who doesn't know that her pet is really Ryoga, she's a little dense.

"We have to make sure they never do something like that again."

"Why?"

Once again I had the urge to shout out what was on my mind. The thing is, this time I did.

"Because I'm trying to save your stupid ass!"

Akane was shocked at this. So she did what she normally does in response to being shocked, she got angry.

"Hey, I'm a martial artist too! I can defend myself."

And then, at that exact moment, something changed. I don't know exactly why. Perhaps it was all the stress I felt, the nervousness that the plan might fail, the despair that maybe the plan must fail, or maybe it was just two years of frustration that had finally found a target, but right then I…I…

I snapped.

"No…" I muttered.

"Ranma…"

"Shut up! Just shut the fuck up! You damn idiot. You overconfident, prideful, conceited bitch! You're wrong. Why won't you face it? Ukyo and Shampoo could wipe the floor with you, at any time. Don't you fucking get it? YOU. COULD. DIE. At anytime. So why? Why the hell do you keep spouting your martial artist nonsense? Why do you make this so difficult? Do you want to die? Is that it? Because I'm trying to help you. I really am. But you just…you just…"

I shouted all that before I could stop myself. When I finally did, I noticed Akane staring up at me, frightened, and near tears. I know I should've at least tried to say something to explain my outburst, but right then I didn't care, I just plain couldn't give a shit. I don't know how long we sat there, just staring at each other, but eventually Nabiki opened the door, she must've heard the noise all the way in her room.

"What exactly just ha-" was as much as she got out before I pushed her out of the way to exit the room.

She managed to shout a "Hey!" at me before I had left the Tendo house.

Where was I going? I didn't know. I just wanted to go away. I guess I was running away again, but I didn't care. I would be back. I just…couldn't deal with it, not now.

Just one day. One day where I didn't meet any of my fiancés, or had to deal with any of their shit. That's all I wanted. And you know what? That's what I was going to get. I think after two years I deserved a break.

So I just ran. Nowhere in particular, just some quiet, secluded place where I could just lie down and think about something else for once.

I found a spot quite easily. Under some bridge. Not much traffic, and I could just stare at the river under it going by. I got into a comfortable position and just relaxed.

What did I think about? Nothing. Just enjoyed the scenery. It was bliss.

Ironic, isn't it? Humans aren't the fastest nor the strongest. Our one advantage was our brains. And yet here I was, enjoying myself more than I had in such a long time, doing something as brainless as staring at the river before me.

But these types of things never last. And this time I wasn't interrupted by a fiancé jumping out at me, or a rival screaming at me. Nope, this time it was my inability to keep a blank mind. Once your mind starts thinking about something, there's nothing you can do about it. You try to not think about something, you'll only end up concentrating on it even more. So here I was, a victim of my own train of thought, hoping my mind would think of pleasant things.

I started to think about Nabiki. About how she was going to have to explain what happened to Akane. I laughed despite myself. I wondered how she would ever get out of that one. I realized then, just how much Nabiki had been helping me. How much of her time she had devoted, just to help sort out my problems. Not hers, mine. It wasn't like she had to. She owed me nothing. I couldn't even say it would have been mean of her not to, after all, they were problems I created. But she did. It was then I realized just how strange that was. It was always about money with her. I used to be awed by the situations she could extort money out of. And this time, she didn't even ask for money. It made no sense.

Tried as I might, I just couldn't find a reason. So my mind moved on.

A thought rose unbidden from my head, I should thank her. And the more I thought about that, the more I realized it was true. Hmm, maybe I could get her flowers. Yeah, I could come to her, with a bouquet of roses, and I would exclaim "Nabiki! For all that you have done for me, I am eternally grateful, please take this as a small token of my appreciation, and if there is anything else I can do for you, tell me and I shall make it so." And then she would run into my arms and declare "Ranma, the only thing I request is to bask in your presence!" and then we would make out like a pair of….woah, I better stop that train of though while I can.

Now that I think about it, the real thing I should be thinking about now is what the hell I'm going to say to Nabiki when I get back. This isn't going to be easy to explain. Nabiki has been rather nice to me lately, but she has limits. Yup, the only conclusion I can come to is that when I get back, I'm screwed.

And Akane, oh boy, who knows how the hell she took my little outburst. And is this going to screw up the plan…damn. I have to get my mind off of the plan. That's why I came here in the first place.

It was at this point that none other than Mousse charged at me, screaming "You shall not take from me my beloved Shampoo."

I came out from under the bridge only to find Mousse running, and for some reason, not at me. It was then I realized that he did not have his glasses on, and managed to think 'That explains it' before Mousse proceeded to beat the hell out of a nearby lamppost.

Now, you think the texture of the lamppost, or the sound that his weapons made against it would have alerted Mousse that this was metal rather then flesh, but nope, he just kept pounding the crap out of that poor lamppost.

I could've stopped him, I suppose, but let me tell you, there is nothing in the world more entertaining than a fight to the death between a martial artist and a lamppost.

As I edged closer to get a better look, Mousse spotted me, and changed his target accordingly. I had something to I wanted to discuss with Mousse, but I had to do something else first. Remember what I said about sparring being a way to relieve stress? Well, I had a lot to vent. Yup, half an hour of beating up Mousse just enough to keep him conscious for all of it. I suppose it was a bit cruel, but in my defense, he was the one that attacked me, plus, I felt a whole lot better afterwards.

Now that he was on the ground panting, I felt it was an excellent time to discuss things.

"Look, Mousse, we really have to talk about this Shampoo issue." I stated.

"What's there to talk about Saotome, I know you're trying to seduce poor innocent…"

"How about actually listening to me instead of just waiting for your turn to talk for once Mousse? Now, I'm only going to say this once, so be sure to take this down. I, Ranma Saotome, in no way, shape or form, wish to take from you your…erm, 'beloved Shampoo.'"

"But you…" he stuttered.

"Mousse, you know very well that there is a law that is forcing Shampoo to pursue me."

"Yes, but…"

"You want to find away around that law, don't you?"

"I…of course I do!" He exclaimed with newfound vigor.

"Here's the thing Mousse, this key point that you seem to be unaware of: So do I. Do you understand Mousse? We, me and you, we have a common goal. To that end, I propose an alliance of sorts. Both of us, we work together to get me out of this stupid engagement with Shampoo."

Mousse looked at me, clearly still suspicious.

"What do you have to lose Mousse?" I continued "All I'm asking is you check that big ol' book of Amazon laws, and if you find anything that could get me out of this, tell me immediately. Is that so much to ask for?"

"That is…okay, fine Saotome, you have a deal."

"Okay, good."

"Just one thing Saotome."

"Yeah?"

"You…you can dodge my attacks fairly well, can't you?"

"Sure" I answered, not really knowing where this was going.

"You could have dodge me for quite a while, am I right?"

"I suppose." I muttered, trying to maintain any are of humility.

"Say, long enough for you to have explained this to me?"

"Er…yes, I probably could…"

"So then why did you feel the need to beat the hell out of me before having the conversation with me?"

"Ehehehe…about that…" I paused, before shouting "Saotome Special Technique: Run Away!" And, well, you know the rest.

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Author's Note: I liked writing this chapter a lot. It's weird, because, I'm all for a Ranma and Akane pairing, I'm not one of the many people who virulently hate Akane, but, the part where Ranma was shouting at Akane, that felt damn good to write. And, the funny thing is, I never really intended it to happen. About two lines before it did, I just got in my head that this would be an excellent place for Ranma to get pissed off at Akane, and just went with it. So yeah, that's about all I have to say.

No wait, I do have one more thing to say, review, because it makes me feel all tingly inside. You want me to feel tingly, don't you? I thought so.


	7. Recovering

Michael Gutin

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Disclaimer: Insert another one of my disclaimers here

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Got some responses to respond to, so here I go! 

**Lord Raa**: I'm all for vague praise man. I also enjoy specific praise. I like any kind of praise really. Any kind. Really. I don't care. Just praise me! PRAISE ME! Ehehehe…I'll shut up now…

**ss4-link**: Ah yes, the nearly bottomless comedy vault that is Mousse's sight impediment. Oh, and feel free to borrow away, not that you care whether I give you permission or not.

**ShadowHunter2000**: Already anticipating the end? Shit, I didn't think I had come along quite that far yet. Well, uh, I'm anticipating it as well, because except for some very vague, poorly thought out ideas, I'm pretty much wingin' it.

**nonengel**: Psh. Making peoples whose names you don't know feel tingly is what makes the world go round. That aside…er, actually, since I agree with the rest of your review, that's basically all there is too say. Damn, that was pointless.

**Megaha**: Erm, the things you're describing are actions, not personality traits, but I can see where you're coming from. I'll liken it to playing a rather frustrating video game. Ever been stuck and just gotten so pissed of that you shut of the game (possibly by throwing your controller at it) and then did something else for a while, then later decide to come back and give it another go? Basically, Ranma's doing the same thing.

Actual story, go!

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**Walking A Thin Line**

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Chapter 7**

**Recovering**

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**

I really didn't wanna go back home yet, but I figured the faster I did, the less damage my little outburst would have had. The funny thing is, it wasn't really Akane who I wanted to avoid meeting. I mean, I did feel guilty about yelling at her out of the blue for doing the same thing she had been for years now, and I was a bit apprehensive about the next time we talked to each other, since it was gonna be damn awkward, but I could quite honestly deal with that quite easily.

In reality, it was Nabiki who was making me cringe with fear. She would be angry. Very angry. I knew that. But that wasn't it. After all, they're all probably angry at me now, well except Kasumi. Akane because I yelled at her and because she's always angry, Soun and Pops because I disrespected my fiancée. I could deal with anger, no problem.

But I think….I think I might have, I don't know, disappointed her in some way. I mean, I know this is my plan, and that Nabiki really stands to gain nothing from it's success or failure, but she was expecting me to do something, and I completely failed to do that. And to do that, because it was to her, made me feel like a horrible person. And deep down I know why it's her of all people I can't stand to disappoint, and that makes me feel even worse.

I could breeze through everything else, my dad's fake tears, Soun's demon head, Akane's mallet, but that look on Nabiki's face, part anger, part sadness, part dissapointment, I don't think I can stand up to that. I really don't.

To have all the effort she put it, wasted, just because she mistakenly put her faith in me? I can't deal with that. But that's the way it is. I'm going to come home, I'm going to hold my head up high, endure all the members of that household without a scratch, then Nabiki will look at me only for a moment, and tell me I'm hopeless and she was wasting her time helping me, and I would be utterly crushed.

I can't blame her though, can't blame any of them. This was purely my fault, and I was going to have to suffer the consequences. I have no right to whine, or to fight it, so I'll just go up and take my punishment like a man.

As I approach the door to the Tendo home, my hand grips then handle, then does nothing. Guess these kinds of things are easier said than done.

I took a deep breath and braced myself for what was to come. Then, ever so slowly, I turned the handle, pushed open the door and stepped in.

Nothing. How anti-climactic. I almost felt cheated, somehow. All this time spent prepping myself emotionally for what was to come, and I was getting off scot-free.

"BOY!"

Or not.

"How dare you treat your fiancée that way! Yelling at her like that. Oh, woe is me, what have I done to deserve such a brute of a son? For did I not care for you, raise you to the best of my ability? You wound your father's heart boy."

You know, were he not such a bad actor, and had he not done this dozens of times before in my life, that would have actually filled me with guilt and shame, but right then, all it did was get on my nerves.

"Go away pops, you're botherin' me." I muttered, before knocking him out cold.

What? I did still have to keep up appearances you know.

Oddly enough, that little episode cheered me up a little. Purely on accident, Pop had actually been a help to me, go figure.

That's not to say I felt so good that I wanted to talk to anyone else right then, so I tried to sneak into my room without running into anyone.

Bah. Who was I kidding? Like I could really avoid Nabiki. She probably knew when I was coming back home before I did. I didn't have a chance.

And sure enough, as soon as I walked by her room the door opened and she dragged me in. Not that I resisted…much.

I walked in and watched as Nabiki sat down on her bed, shook her head at the ground, and sighed.

"Glad to see you're back, Ranma." Nabiki stated dryly.

I scratched the back of my head nervously, "Um, yeah."

"That was really stupid of you, you know that?" She said sharply.

"Yeah…I know…" I muttered.

I braced myself. For her yells, her reprimands, her sighs. But I was totally unprepared for what appeared on Nabiki's face that moment.

Concern. It disappeared quickly, but I'm absolutely positive I saw it. For that one moment, Nabiki had dropped the mask, and showed how she really felt. And she cared. She honestly cared, about me. The cold Nabiki who I had never known to show any emotion but amusement actually cared about me, about what happened to me.

And for the first time in so long, I felt so happy. I know it wasn't as if she was declaring her undying love to me, but she cared. She liked me. She felt my pain, at least a little. And for now, that was enough.

"…at least I managed to fix everything." Nabiki told me. I realized that she had been talking and I had drifted off, but I was feeling to good to care.

"Great. Uh, thanks Nabiki, thanks a lot."

She looked up at me. "For what, for helping you? No problem."

"No." I told her "Thanks for…no, never mind." I finished lamely.

What was I going to do? Tell her "Thanks for caring"? Way too stupid. And considering the Old Ranma has uttered these past years, that's saying something.

I was about to leave, when Nabiki put her hand on my shoulder.

"I saved you ass this time Saotome. But next time I won't be so charitable."

I sighed. "Yeah. I know."

With that, I left the room. As soon as I was out of sight, I started skipping to my room, chanting 'She cares, she cares, she cares' in my head. Right as I passed by Akane's room, Nabiki stuck her head out of her room and yelled "Also, you should really have a talk with Akane."

That stopped me in my tracks. But I could handle it. This would be cake.

I opened the door and peered inside. What I saw is Akane looking up at me forlornly, her face puffy and red from crying.

Oh boy, I'm screwed.

There is one thing that both me and Old Ranma share. We both really can't stand girls crying. Don't ask me why. It's not even a feeling of pity, or of sadness for that person. It just…unnerves me. It's like a crime against nature, is what it is. I know I could easily be exploited because of this, but I can't help it. I don't like seeing girls cry, and when I do I try to get them to stop, and I can't help it.

"Uh, A-Akane" I stammered, "I'm…uh…I'm really, really sorry, I didn't mean any of it honest. I was just um, stressed out…or something. Really. Um, it's all my fault…er, yeah, I just took out my anger on you, that's all…"

Man I was rambling. It was pathetic, and I deep down I knew that, but like I said, I really can't help it.

Akane looked up at me, "Ranma," she said sternly, "you meant at least some of that."

"What? No. I didn't. Well, I guess, maybe a little, but…but I really shouldn't have shouted at you. I'm, I'm sorry I guess…"

Akane looked away, "Sure Ranma, whatever you say."

"Hey," I said indignantly "I mean it!"

Akane looked up again, this time slightly angry. Good, angry, as long as she's not crying. "You always act like a jerk Ranma, it's not like this time is any different."

"Fine!" I shouted, "I don't even know why I bothered to apologize to an uncute girl like you." And with that, I turned around and left her room, slamming the door behind me.

As I walked back, I saw Nabiki next to the door and gave her a smile and a thumbs up. She nodded knowingly, and returned the smile. As I went back to my room, I flopped down and gave a contented sigh. Everything was back to normal. Perfectly fine, at least, for now.

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Author's Note: Though I wasn't going to update, didn't you? Though I'd given up, eh? Oh ye of little faith. Well, this chapter wrapped things up nicely, I suppose. But don't worry, it'll go downhill from here, hopefully pretty quickly too. 

Review some more, and I'll write some more. Sounds like a fair exchange, no?


	8. Reflecting

Disclaimer: Insert another one of my disclaimers here

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Response time once again I suppose, sigh. 

Just kidding! I love this shit!

**Ss4-link**: Hey, you're right, things will be going downhill. At least, if I can manage it, you see, I haven't actually planned much out ahead of time, but it's worked out pretty well for me so far, so I go with it.

**Matrex**: I don't think Ranma killing himself would fit in too well in this story. However, if I ever make a more angsty one, I will certainly consider it.

**Fair Character analysis**: That was quite a review you've left. Now, since you're most likely not even going to read this, I don't really feel like taking up time to argue ever specific point. Let's just say you're mostly right, but on some points you are wrong. See? Now that's how debate should go.

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And now story time perhaps? Oh, I think so.

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**Walking a Thin Line**

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**Chapter 8**

**Reflecting**

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**

"AND I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" Akane screamed at me.

"YEAH? WELL FUCK YOU. YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A TOMBOY, LOUD-MOUTHED, JELOUS BOSSY BITCH ANYWAY. You were lucky to even have me!" I yelled back.

"You call the worst thing that ever happened to me "lucky"? You're a bigger idiot that I thought!" she responded.

"I think that was pretty good, don't you?" I asked Akane.

She smiled back at me and answered "Yeah, it was quite the performance."

Me and Akane where in my room, rehearsing. That's right, rehearsing. Nabiki forced us into it. She said something about it needing to be absolutely perfect or it won't work. Considering the number of times Shampoo and Ukyo see and hear what they want to, I personally thought that we could sort half-ass this thing, but hey, Nabiki's the brains here. We were doing a pretty good job, actually. It wasn't too hard really, I mean, all Akane had to do was be angry, which is basically her standard emotion, and I just had to let out two years worth of rage. All in all, we made a damn convincing couple who despised each other. Didn't stop it from being boring as hell though.

"So, we done here?" I asked, still panting slightly.

"I think so." Akane responded.

"All right, well then, see ya!" I said.

"Wait!" Akane exclaimed, "Where are you going?"

"Uh…out…I guess…" Because really, I had no idea.

"Because if…" she started to say.

"If you even mention Shampoo or Ukyo I will go out and marry them TONIGHT Akane." I interrupted, I mean, she might not even have been asking about them, but it never hurts to get these things out in the open.

"I didn't…I wasn't going to…" she stammered.

Well, I could see this really wasn't going anywhere, and so I left. Via window. Into the pond.

Damn I gotta stop doing that.

And wouldn't you know it, there was Nabiki, watching me as I emerged from the middle of the pond. Perhaps she had been enjoying watching the koi, if so I sure screwed that up for her. But hey, koi suck anyway, am I right?

"So…we're done," was the first thing I told her.

"I gathered as much" she told me dryly.

And that was about all we had to say to each other. Damn, I was still bored. It's funny, now that I think about it. Here I was at the crossroads of my life. Time was limited, tensions were mounting, we were all on thin ice here. A false step anywhere, by any one of us, could permanently screw things up for all of us. But right then, I just felt bored.

And then it hit me.

"Be right back Nabiki" I said suddenly as I started to climb out of the pond.

"To do what now?" Nabiki asked me as I dashed into the house.

"Just hold on a sec!" I shouted back at her.

I changed back into a guy in the kitchen, and went to my room and put on a dry pair of clothes and went right back out.

"Let's go." I told Nabiki casually.

Nabiki looked at me coolly, "Go where exactly?"

"Out." I said simply.

"Out where?" she asked.

"Doesn't matter." I stated as I pulled her up and started walking.

"Ranma, you really want me to start walking with you down to god knows where for no reason at all?"

I thought about that for a moment.

"No, that would be stupid" I said.

"Exactly." Nabiki said, satisfied.

"We'll roof hop there." I calmly stated as I picked her up and proceeded on my way.

"Ranma…that's….not….what…I…meant…" she managed to get out in between jumps.

It was evening, and as I jumped aimlessly, one establishment in particular caught my eye.

"Oooh, lets go the amusement park." I told Nabiki.

Yeah, that's right, it was the shiny lights that got my attention. I'm not afraid to admit it.

"Fine…just…put me…down…" was her reply.

Good enough for me.

I landed on the fence surrounding the place, there were no lights there, and it was dark enough that we wouldn't be noticed. I then hopped to the ground and finally released Nabiki.

She wasn't too pleased at that point. "Well, now what?" she asked me.

"It's an amusement park Nabiki" I told her, grinning, "It's not too hard to figure out."

That didn't help pacify her ire in the slightest, go figure.

"Look Nabiki," I said, my tone now serious "how about we think of this as a date, then it works out, am I right?"

"Most people ask the other person's permission before taking them out." Nabiki replied, her tone slightly lighter.

"Yeah? Well I'm crazy like that." I blurted out.

Her expression hardened at that.

"Look…" I sighed. "I'm not a normal person, we know that, my life, well, it's quite frankly the epitome of chaos. I can't…I mean.. I don't plan things, whenever I do, it just tends to…tends to…" I took Nabiki's hand in mine again, though this time much less roughly. "Nabiki, I know it's not right of me to drag you out here with no warning." I pulled her against me, I could feel her heartbeat alongside my own. Our faces were inches from each other, so I only had to whisper, "But…Nabiki, I wanted to go somewhere, with…with you."

She sighed a little, and leaned her head against my chest. My heart skipped a beat at that. You might think I'm a pussy for being a romantic, but it's really that moment, out of all the ones I had experienced so far in my life, that'd I'd like to preserve forever.

But of course, this is Nabiki. I have a feeling she's a romantic deep down too, but she sure doesn't let it show often. As quickly as I had felt her weight pressed against me, it was gone. And she was her normal amused self.

"You know, you're right." She said. "We should go out and just have fun."

I know that maybe I just imagined it. That maybe it's just me seeing what I want to see, but after she said that, she turned around for a moment and smiled at me. And I think…I think that smile was a bit different from all the other ones I had seen on her face.

It was beautiful.

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Author's Notes: Haha fuckers! You though I was gone, didn't you? Well…I actually was, and…well, I was pretty much planning to stay that way, but, uh, it's midnight and I'm bored and I feel like writing and I have no other ideas so, I wrote this garbage. 

I mean beautiful piece of fan fiction.

No, no, I'm sticking with garbage.

Also, directly before reading this I read _Things Fall Apart_ by what's his name… Achebe, yeah, that's the one. I also had to read a little mini-biography of him.

I must say, Achebe is a dick. It just had to be said.

Also:

Review kind sir/madam.


	9. Comprehending

Oh but it has been so long, hasn't it? Why did am I writing right now? I'd like to say it's because I have free time, but it's quite the opposite, I have so much homework to do, I mean, I should be doing it now, instead of this. But for some reason, I've decided not to. I think I might actually be a masochist; I apparently secretly crave the ol' up till two in the morning listening to Beseech as I desperately try to spew out yet another piece of commentary on East of Eden. But enough ranting, moving on…

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Oh, sweet responses!

Onikami-no-Shinobi: Oh, he shall. He shall.

nonengel: It's good to be back man.

NoshMono: To answer your first question, you don't. Also, you don't know if the tinfoil really is enough to protect you from the alien's mind control rays. Just a thought. You don't belong to any extremist pairing faction you say? Thank you. Thank you so much. Please, please don't ever change. People, if a story is well written, I'm telling you honestly, it doesn't matter who ends up with who, please believe me. And if I do decide to not finish this, I will put in a little mini-ending, thanks for the suggestion. And also, the ending you suggested, not too bad, in my opinion.

Huh: Dude! My first flame! Actually, the funny thing is this is a good thing. The way I look at it, no matter what you write, you're going to have people who hate it. If you think no one hates your story, that just means they're keeping silent. Meaning everyone is just being nice to you, meaning they might not really like your story at all, but just don't want to be mean. This flame means that at least some people are being honest.

P.S.

Y r u so mean 2 me:(

JohnnyG: I know man, it's the best story ever, I would say.

Innortal: Lacking in development? You sir, have gone too far. I'm gonna go cry in the corner now.

Done!

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**Walking a Thin Line**

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**Chapter 9**

**Comprehending**

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**

Well, the date was good.

Great.

Awesome.

I mean, I think. It's not like I have much to compare it too. But still, I had a great time, Nabiki did. We went home.

Good times.

But I really should be getting back to my plan. I stared at the bundle of papers before me, and sighed.

It would work, wouldn't it? I mean, it had to. I felt uneasy about something, but I let it go. I dropped the papers down and headed for the dojo.

Wouldn't you know it, Ryoga was there. Not piggy Ryoga either, but good ol' human Ryoga.

He stared at me as I entered the dojo.

"Why are you humming?" he demanded.

"Hey I'm not..." I started to say, but then I realized that I actually was humming.

So I changed my response to "Uh…"

Actually, that wasn't much better.

"Ranma…you've been awfully cheery these last couple of days…" he said menacingly.

"You make that sound like it's a bad thing…" I said nervously.

"It is. Because if you're happy that means your up to something. And if you're up to something that only means bad things are about to happen to me and Akane."

I didn't quite follow that piece of logic, but I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"So…"

"So…" he said, pulling me into a headlock. "Tell me what you're up to Saotome!"

"Hey…" I said, as I struggled to get out of it. "I ain't doin' nothin'"

Right then Nabiki opened the door.

"Hey, you two, quit screwing around in here, Ranma, I need to talk to you."

She turned and walked away.

I realized now that Ryoga had loosened his grip, I ducked out and turned to face him.

He stared at me, "Hey…since when does Nabiki…smile…when she talks to you?"

"When she wha…" And then I realized, she had been smiling. And not a smirk, or a grin of amusement, but a genuinely happy smile. It was, to be honest, quite shocking.

"Yeah…since when…" I muttered.

"You think maybe she's up to something…" he mused.

"Maybe…"

"She…she said she wanted to see you…"

"Yeah…"

"Aren't you gonna go?"

"You think…you think I should?"

"Yeah…"

"You think maybe she…"

"No…"

"But what if…"

"Just go…"

"Okay…"

And so I went.

As I entered her room, I noticed she was absorbed in something she was writing. So naturally I crept up quietly, got up right next to her, and in a loud voice, said  
"Hey Nabiki! What's up?"

Haha, it turns out the great Nabiki can indeed be frightened. Good air time too.

"Jeez Ranma, you trying to kill me?" She demanded.

"What?" I asked in a mock confused voice "Why would I ever try to kill someone as cute as you?"

"Are you…are you flirting with me Ranma?" she asked.

Before I could answer, she took a step closer to me.

"Because you know…I really like that sort of thing…"

She pressed herself up against me.

"Don't you?"

She was joking, right? I mean, she had to be, and yet…

"Uh, I…that is, I…"

She pulled away and giggled.

"You're too easy Ranma."

So cruel.

And yet, as I saw her laughing, I couldn't help but laugh too.

After a moment, Nabiki regained her normal composure.

"Today. We're doing this today."

"What?"

"What do you think? What you and Akane have been practicing for all this time?"

"Ah, right, but why today?"

"Because both Shampoo and Ukyo will be in a relatively secluded spot at exactly the same time."

Sounds reasonable. Wait…

"…you know this how?"

"I just do."

Good enough for me.

"All right, so what where and when?" I asked.

"Why, right in front of our school, at 6 o'clock."

I nodded, and was about to leave, when an idea popped into my head.

"Hey, Nabiki, afterwards, wanna grab a bite to eat?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound nearly as hopeful as I felt.

"I can't, I'm busy."

"Oh." I said, hoping I didn't sound nearly as rejected as I felt.

I turned to leave.

"But…" I heard Nabiki say behind me, "..How about tomorrow?"

"Sure, I'm free then." I said, hoping I sounded way more nonchalant then I felt.

So the time came, and as Nabiki had said, Shampoo and Ukyo were both there. We did our little dialogue, and I think it worked.

Why you ask?

"Ranma, now you all left to Shampoo" Shampoo purred at me as she clung to my left arm.

"Ranma honey, don't pay attention to her, after all, now that Akane's gone, there's nothing keeping us from…" she sighed happily as she clung to my right arm.

That's why.

Now to get out of here.

"I…I gotta go…" I said, and jumped away, figuring they'd leave me alone for a bit.

…So yeah, that didn't work. But on the plus side, they both switched arms, and since Shampoo grips way tighter than Ukyo, at least the feeling of numbness was starting to even out on both my arms.

"Don't you guys have…um…work to do?"

They looked at me, and sighed dreamily.

"You know…food…delivery…you have to make it? Anything?"

Nothing. Wait, I got it.

"Food…'cause you know, I'm hungry…"

I braced myself.

"Ah! Of course, how silly, Shampoo get Ranma food right now!" Shampoo said.

"No way, Ranma was talking about my food!" Ukyo retorted.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

And so, I left them to their devices.

I walked home, not roof hopping, because I really didn't want to go anywhere particularly fast. On the way, I saw Nabiki, walking with some guy. They didn't notice me, and walked into some restaurant.

Actually, not some restaurant, but the one I had been planning to take Nabiki to tomorrow.

Wait, a second, was she on a date?

Nah. I mean, Nabiki doesn't date much. I mean, only when she's low on cash. Yeah, she was probably trying to get some cash out of him.

I looked inside and saw the two of them seated, they seemed to be having a generally good time. Nabiki was laughing a lot, and smiling.

I felt angry. This is…it's…it's none of my business, I realized.

I should go home. Yeah. Home. I'm not some stalker who follows some girl around while she…

Damn it, what was she doing. She can't like that guy, can she?

No. No. None of my business. Going home now.

It was about seven when I got back, and I realized I had nothing to do, so I went to the dojo to train. When I was tired, I went to go to sleep.

But I couldn't get to sleep. I just watched the alarm clock, 10:59, 11:00, 11:01…

Damn, I need some sleep. It's too late to be up.

Like Nabiki, isn't she back yet, she shouldn't be out so…

Stop. Stop. Gotta go to sleep…sleep….

I heard the door open and jumped out of bed. I had to find out.

I opened my door, and stopped her as she was about to open her own.

"Uh, hi." She said.

"Where were you?" I demanded.

"Out." She said simply.

"With?"

"What do you care?" she asked me.

"I was just…just asking." I quickly said.

"Oh." She said.

She stared at me for a moment, and I quickly averted my gaze. She started to turn.

"I saw you. On my way back home. With some guy." I said, before I could stop myself.

"Oh." She said again

What am I doing? I should just get out of here before I say something else stupid.

"Wait…" she said, and I froze.

"Are you…are you…jealous?" she asked.

"Yes." I blurted out, without thinking.

Gah! Stupid. Why in the world did I say that? Nabiki just stared at me some more, damn this is embarrassing. I really gotta…

"It…it wasn't like that…" she said softly.

"Huh?"

"I…he was just a friend Ranma…" she said.

"Oh."

"Good night Ranma."

"Yeah, good night."

* * *

Author's Notes: Another one done. Not a particularly good chapter, but it works. I know some of you have been saying that I really should finish this. Honestly, I'll try to.

You can expedite the process though, you know.

It's called reviewing.

Do it!


	10. Chapter 10

So sara wrote: update! pwetty please

And I mean, sure I haven't updated this in...uh...you know, like a year. But I mean, c'mon, she asked nicely, I've got no choice but to do it.

* * *

So it's one of those mornings.

You know. I wake up with a giant panda attacking me.

No, that's fine. I'm cool, I like getting tossed into the air, but you know what I really like? Being tossed into the air before I've fully woken up.

Thanks a ton pops.

Cold? What cold? This pond isn't cold. I'm not shivering because it's cold, whatever gave you that idea?

No, really, I could just be shivering 'cause I've got breasts all of a sudden, ever think of that?

Bah.

I would be in a bad mood normally, but today I think I'm good. Everything has been going great. I'll just change back and sit down and eat and it'll be fine.

I'll just pretend I'm sulking. All good…

Damn, is it just me, or is today's weather just especially…

Huh. I believe…yes, I do believe that is Shampoo standing in our hallway.

Right. That's not so bad, I mean, obviously Shampoo and Ukyo are going to be more aggressive now that they think Akane is out of the running, but… is she supposed to be so angry?

"Liar!" Shampoo screamed as she hurled herself at me.

Hmmm, that's not right at all. Now let's see here, defend myself, restrain the crazy girl, allright.

"What's the hell's wrong with ya?" I said, as pinned Shampoo against a wall.

"Ranma big liar. He still love Akane."

Oh hell. What happened? This wasn't supposed to…I mean, I did a good job didn't I? Hell, enough to fool this goddamn ditz, damnit, was it Cologne? No, no, she wasn't even there, plus Nabiki would've definitely factored her in. So what?

Shit.

Maybe…maybe she's just testing me, yeah, that's gotta be it.

"What are you talking about Shampoo?"

"So…so it true?" she asked quietly.

"Of course it is."

"Then say it."

"Huh?"

"Say it Ranma, right now, say to everyone here."

Ah. So that's what she was after. But...wait, that doesn't make any sense. If she did believe me, this is all unnecessary, so that means she doesn't trust me, but why not…

Not good. I could just say I was lying, but then we're back to square one…no, worse than that, since now I won't be trusted ever. If I agree, well, Akane will understand, but Tendo…

I'll be kicked out…

But, I really have no choice, do I?

"I, Ranma Saotome, will never marry Akane Tendo."

"WHAT!?" screamed Tendo.

"Boy…" growled my father.

Gotta make it convincing.

"You heard me, I'm putting my foot down for once. I ain't marryin' no ugly, tomboy flat-chested FREAK"

It's not hard to figure out what happened from there.

Actually the part that go to me wasn't being yelled at. It was watching Shampoo's smile getting bigger and bigger as the man she supposedly 'loves' had his last two years of progress thrown away just like that.

I mean, yeah, I don't actually love Akane. But, this place is basically my home. No, fuck that, an entire life spent on the road, with this place being the only place I've even spent a month at, this IS my home. And the Tendo's, well, they've been more of a family to me then Pops ever was.

I didn't actually think…

It's really ending this soon?

Shit.

I…you know that saying "you'll never know how much you'll miss something before it's gone"? I always thought that was bullshit. Or maybe that happened to other people. I'm not that shallow, I've always appreciated what I had, but…

I always knew this could happen. I told myself it'd be worth it. It's just a house. Just people.

But then why am I so pissed of at Shampoo?

Why is the sinking feeling I'm getting so…

Fuck…

I guess I should have hung out with Shampoo for a while longer, to really sink it in. But right then I couldn't stand to even look at her. Fucking smirking at all of this. She really…

Oh, great, it's raining. Where am I gonna go? I guess the park. That's where all the other homeless people go, isn't it?

Great, just great. And what am I gonna do tomorrow?

Damnit. What the hell do I do now? I guess Nabiki…

No. Fuck that. This is bad. And all her fault. This was her big plan. I mean, what I was doing, that wasn't gonna last forever, but I didn't screw up this bad. Not in two years.

I wonder what I look like to all those people walking by me. A soaking wet girl, just walking down the street slowly. Girls this pretty aren't supposed to be homeless. Why am I even walking at all, actually? Where do I have to go? School? Ha. Get a job? Yeah, a job, that way I could buy food, and add upgrades to a cardboard box where I'd sleep. Great. I could always just leave…but the whole reason I did any of this was so I didn't have to…

Ugh.

This really bites. I mean, the Tendo's…my goddamn home, my new fucking life, I liked it. I LIKED IT. It's not that I really needed shelter, or that I mind that it's cold and wet and I'm a girl, I'm used to those things. But hell, with this final push back, I'm really back to where I started to years ago. Chicks chasing me, no place I have to go, no place I want to go, nobody to look out for but myself. And to think, it hasn't even been a month since I, in my arrogance, decided I could fix everything. And of course, I had the genius idea of going to Nabiki…

It's…I guess it was a mistake for me to believe in her.

So, I guess I'll just have to go on my own from now on.

I have no problem with doing this without Nabiki's help, without anybody's help.

Ha…I guess Pops did at least implant me with one kernel of wisdom that proved true…

It seems I can't count on anybody if I want to be happy.


End file.
